Hear Macklemore's Meditative Addiction Ballad 'Drug Dealer'

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have shared a poignant new song about addiction, "Drug Dealer," featuring vocals from Ariana DeBoo and co-production from Joshua "Budo" Karp.

Over a subdued piano progression offset by frantic percussion, Macklemore tackles the vast scope of substance abuse in just the first verse, touching on the drug- or alcohol-related deaths of celebrities like Prince, Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse, the political pull of pharmaceutical companies and the ongoing opioid epidemic in America.

Following DeBoo's aching chorus – "My drug dealer was a doctor, doctor/ Had the plug from Big Pharma, Pharma" – Macklemore vividly delves into his own struggles with addiction. "Four horseman, they won't let me forget," he spits. "I wanna forge a prescription, cause doctor I need some more of it/ When Morphine and heroine is more viewer budget/ I said I'd never use a needle, but sure, fuck it."